Heavy Collegiate Drinking Decreases

Nearly one in four college students who drink alcohol heavily on
a regular basis stop doing so before they graduate, according to
a new study.

Conducted by Dr. Kenneth Steinman of Ohio State University’s
School of Public Health, the study surveyed 778 undergraduate students
at the university. The research is reported in the Journal of American
College Health. 1

Heavy episodic drinkers were those who reported three or more episodes
of heavy drinking (four or more drinks in a row for a woman and
five or more for a man) either during their senior year in high
school or first year in college.

Henry Wechsler has aggressively promoted the term “binge”
to describe such behavior, although research has found that about
half or more of such “bingers’ weren’t even intoxicated
on their most recent so-called binge. 2

Heavy episodic drinkers who hadn’t yet considered moderating
their drinking consumed an average of 12.5 drinks per week. On the
other hand, heavy episodic drinkers who had avoided excessive drinking
for at least six months consumed an average of only one drink per
week.

This research is consistent with other studies that have found
the heaviest drinking to occur among first-year students and that
drinking tends to moderate as students progress through their college
careers.

Research has also consistently found that the vast majority of
college students dramatically decrease the quantity and frequency
of their alcohol consumption quickly following graduation.

References

1. Steinman, K.J. College students’
early cessation from episodic heavy drinking: prevalence and correlates.
Journal of American College Health, 2003, 51(5), 197-204.